Despite all the difficulties, rain and snow were welcomed in Northern California. This region is so dry that almost all of it has been classified as experiencing extreme or extraordinary drought. Wet weather reduces the likelihood of wildfires in areas that have already been ravaged by another year of devastating blazes.
People joyfully discarded rain boots and jackets, and children ran in the puddles after the storm hit over the weekend. Images of windshields covered in water were shared on social media. It’s raining!
Earl Casaclang, San Francisco, waited for the sun to break on Sunday so he could go outside and light a cigarette.
It was insane! It was crazy! “We need it raining to continue, but hopefully not too hard.”
According to the National Weather Service, preliminary rain totals were “staggering” with 11 inches (28 cmimeters), at Marin County’s Mount Tamalpais, and 4 inches (10 cmimeters), in downtown San Francisco. This was the fourth-wettest ever day for the city.
The local weather office stated that “It’s been an unforgettable past 24 hours for Bay Area as long-debated atmospheric river rolled through region.” “We have literally gone from drought conditions to flooding in just one storm cycle.”
Northeast of San Francisco Bay Area, 5.44 in (13.82 cmimeters), fell on downtown Sacramento, breaking the 1880 one-day rainfall record.
Strong winds accompanied the storm, causing damage to trees and even toppling two large rigs at the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. Pacific Gas & Electric reported Sunday night that 380,000 homes lost power. However, most of them had their power back on Monday.
Two people and a dog were rescued from rising creeks by San Jose Fire Department crews Monday morning. San Jose Fire crews found one person at Guadalupe River clinging on to a tree, but they were unable to find a second. Crews saved a dog and an individual who were stranded on an isolated island in Coyote Creek an hour later.
Although precipitation levels dropped as the storm moved south, a flood alert was still issued Monday afternoon for Los Angeles County.
Heavy snow on Monday morning closed Interstate 80, the main highway that runs through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Reno, Nevada. The state Department of Transportation stated that state highways 16 in California’s Yolo and Colusa counties were closed for several miles due to mudslides.
The same storm system also hit Washington and Oregon, causing power outages that affected thousands. Two people died when a tree fell onto a vehicle in Seattle.
According to the Department of Water Resource of California, Lake Oroville, a major reservoir in Northern California, saw its water levels increase 20 feet (6.10m) over the week. KHSL-TV reported that most of the increase occurred between Saturday and Monday during the worst of the storm.
Justin Mankin, Dartmouth College geography professor and co-lead for the Drought Task Force at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that the cycle of years-long droughts to record-breaking downpours can be expected to continue because of climate change.
Mankin stated that while rain is welcomed, it can also bring with it some hazards. It won’t end the drought. “California still requires more precipitation. It needs it at high elevations, spread over a longer period of time, so it’s safe.
Chief of Sequoia National Parks’ resource management and science, Christy Brigham, stated that the rain was a great relief after the Caldor Fire, which tore down thousands of cedars and pines in the park.
Brigham stated that this amount of rain is what we refer to as a “season-ending event.” It should end the fire season, and it should also end our need to fight this fire to a large extent.
Caldor Fire has been burning for over two months. In early September, it forced the unprecedented evacuation of South Lake Tahoe. Firefighters consider the fire now contained. This is thanks to rain.
The California Highway Patrol shut down a section of State Route 70 between Plumas and Butte counties over multiple landslides caused by the huge Dixie Fire burn scar.
Cal Fire, the state’s firefighting agency wasn’t ready for the wildfire season to end or to reduce staffing to winter levels. Isaac Sanchez, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, stated that they would like to see more rain before we consider reducing staffing.
Mankin stated that California’s long-term forecast shows dryr-than-normal conditions.
He said that to end the drought in different areas, it would be necessary for California to receive precipitation that is about 200% more than normal over the next three-months.
